Frank J. Mastrocola Scholarship Supports Everett’s New Marine Recruits

By Neil Zolot

Everett High School seniors and new Marine Corps recruits Isaque Miranda Agostinho, Johan Baez, Angel Chinchilla Figueroa and Paterson Pierre Paul will each receive $1,000 as the four recipients of the Frank J. Mastrocola Memorial Marine Corps Scholarship for the Class of 2026. They were recognized at Scholarship Night on Thursday, May 28 in the High School Crimson Cafe at 6.

“I was completely shocked to hear about it,” Figueroa said, in part because people joining the armed services don’t need scholarship money like college students may.

Baez said he was surprised about the scholarship, but also excited to get it, in part because it could enable his family to attend his ceremony at Parris Island in South Carolina after eventual graduation from boot camp, as donor Frank Mastrocola, Jr. intended.

Cambridge based U.S. Marine recruiter Sgt. Johnson Nguyen confirmed, “The applicants didn’t expect this.”

Mastrocola Jr. also wanted to recognize students who might be joining the armed services in memory of his father, who served in the Pacific Theater in World War II and saw action at Guadalcanal. “I wanted to do something for those who did what my father did,” he said. ”He didn’t go to college. In fact, he didn’t finish his senior year at Everett High,” he said. “He, and a group of other football players, went to bootcamp immediately after football season at the height of World War II. I wanted to do something for those who did what my father did.”

After the war, Mastrocola returned to Everett and was awarded a high school diploma. He then ran a home heating oil business providing healing oil and repairing equipment for around 1,000 families before retiring. He passed away in January 2018 at age 92.

His wife Gloria passed away about a year and half later in September 2019 at age 94. They met as students at Everett High.

After graduating from Malden Catholic High School in 1971, Mastrocola Jr., now 73, moved to Chelsea and went into the real estate business, but also served as State Senator for Everett, Chelsea, Revere and Saugus from 1977 to 1979. The district, which changed borders but still includes Everett and Chelsea, is now represented by Sal DiDomenico.

Mastrocola Jr. has a son and nephew in the Marines and is now semiretired and living in Medford. He and his wife Judy fund the scholarships out of their personal resources, with four being a higher number than other years. “These guys are special,” he said of the new recruits. “The scholarships are a tribute to young people who chose not to go to college and their willingness to put their lives on the line in a time of war.”

In a letter to each he wrote, “Thank you for your commitment to serve in the US Marine Corps. We are proud of you. The scholarship you have received is in memory of my father, Frank Mastrocola. He was a great man, and I believe, became a great man, in part, from his experience in the U.S. Marine Corps. Throughout his life, he was a proud Marine. When he was asked why he chose to fight in WW II as a Marine, he said, ‘They have the best training, and I wanted to be the best.’ You will soon be in bootcamp. It will be tough, but the Marine Corps knows what they’re doing. The drill instructors know their limits and they will know yours. Each day, you will become stronger, and you’ll be ready for the next day’s work. We know you don’t need a scholarship for expenses. There is no tuition at Parris Island. But there is a graduation ceremony that is as good as any college’s. We thought this money could be used to help pay for your family’s travel expenses to Parris Island. When my son and nephew became Marines, we could not have been more proud. I hope your family and close friends can be with you when you graduate. There’s no graduation ceremony like it! Please consider saving this money until then. You may want to use it for family travel. If they don’t need or want the money, use it for a fabulous party!”

Figueroa said he chose to join the military, in part, because college is so expensive and service will help pay for it later. “We’re very proud of him,” his mother Karla Marquez said. “He’s worked hard and it paid off.”

Baez said he wanted to be the first in his extended family to serve. “We’re very happy for him and proud of him,” his uncle Christian Baez said.